A simple solution to a complex issue

Peace in Jerusalem rests on creation of two separate states

Paradoxically, at a time when large cities have populations numbering in the millions or even tens of millions, world peace should depend to a large extent on the future of a "small" city of 800,000 people. Jerusalem is a focal point for two peoples — Israelis and Palestinians — and three religions — Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

It is precisely the interweaving of national and sacred dimensions that makes this city such a major issue. Reaching peace in Jerusalem is indispensable to achieve peace in the Middle East and enable more serene cohabitation among the three great monotheistic religions.

Such a peace seems more remote today than ever. After the hopes generated by the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, conflict between Israelis and Palestinians arose with renewed vigor in the early 21st century. In recent months, tensions have been especially high in the Holy City, which appears to be the center of a forthcoming third intifada, or Palestinian uprising. The current clashes can logically be viewed from a national standpoint, with Israel's policy of gradually eroding Palestinian neighborhoods, as well as from a religious standpoint, with extremist Jews and Muslims fighting over "ownership" of the esplanade that one side calls "the temple" and the other "the mosques."

On paper, the solution is simple. It is to acknowledge what history has made of the city: the capital of two peoples and a sacred site for three religions. Thus, it is necessary to move toward the cohabitation of two separate states, which by itself would guarantee protection for the holy places and access to them by the faithful from all over the world. Easy to say but so difficult to achieve, given the exacerbated passions at the local, regional and even worldwide levels. The situation cannot be de-escalated without international actors — particularly the United States — putting constructive pressure on Israelis as well as Palestinians.

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